Vega launches Sentinel-2C in ‘fitting’ swan song for European rocket

Sep05
by on September 5, 2024 at 3:47 pm
Posted In: Space


Europe’s first-generation Vega rocket has blasted a payload into space for the last time.  Vega lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana in the early hours of this morning. It was carrying Sentinel-2C, an Earth observation platform that will now join Europe’s fleet of Copernicus satellites. LIFTOFF of #Sentinel2 C on the last Vega rocket from @EuropeSpacePort in Kourou, French Guiana on 5 September 2024! pic.twitter.com/QzAZPkqBTr — European Space Agency (@esa) September 5, 2024 The European Space Agency (ESA) called the launch a “fitting” farewell for a rocket that was primarily responsible for deploying small Earth observation satellites…

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Boutqiue ebike maker Cowboy bags €5M as it races to do what VanMoof couldn’t

Sep04
by on September 4, 2024 at 9:47 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Belgian ebike maker Cowboy has bagged €5mn as it looks to achieve full-year profitability next year — and not suffer the same fate as VanMoof.  The funding round was led by Cypress Capital, a Hong Kong-based VC with strong ties to Taiwan, the global hub of bicycle manufacturing. “Cypress Capital is not just a financial investor — which is great to have as well, especially in this climate — but a strategic one,” Cowboy’s founder and CEO, Adrien Roose, told TNW.  While Cowboy’s hyper-connected ebikes are assembled in Europe, it sources about half of its parts from Taiwan, Roose said.…

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Embracing pivots: insights from a nanotech startup founder

Sep03
by on September 3, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Any startup is looking to solve a problem. Sometimes, it is not the one you first envisioned when you set up the company, as Mari-Ann Meigo Fonseca, co-founder of Tallin-based Gelatex can attest. Gelatex manufactures 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for various applications, ranging from cell culture to tissue engineering. “But we started the company with a completely different business idea in mind,” Meigo Fonseca tells TNW. Initial target: the textile industry Building a company is often less about sticking to an initial, rigid plan and more about embracing and adapting to changes along the way. With a background in the textile…

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Swedish startup bets big on zinc-ion batteries with world’s first megaplant

Sep02
by on September 2, 2024 at 3:08 pm
Posted In: Insider


Swedish startup Enerpoly has opened the world’s first zinc-ion battery megafactory. Its vision is to scale a better alternative to lithium-ion for storing renewable energy over longer periods of time. The Enerpoly Production Innovation Center (EPIC) facility is located north of Stockholm. Commissioning has already begun and the plant is expected to make the first zinc-ion batteries next year. The company aims to reach a maximum production capacity of 100MWh by 2026 — enough energy to power around 20,000 homes. Enerpoly’s new zinc-ion megafactory on the outskirts of Sweden. Credit: Enerpoly In 2018, Dr. Mylad Chamoun made a breakthrough in…

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Spain is luring digital nomads into the countryside with €15,000 grants

Aug30
by on August 30, 2024 at 3:31 pm
Posted In: Future of Work


In Barcelona, digital nomads risk being attacked by angry water pistol-wielding locals. But other parts of sun-soaked Spain are welcoming remote workers with open arms — and wads of cash. This week, the local government of Extremadura announced it is offering digital nomads and remote workers up to €15,000 to move to the rural region. The grants are for “available housing, arable land, and everything necessary to expedite their arrival,” said officials in a press release.   Bordering Portugal, Extremadura is known for its mountainous landscapes, vineyards, historic villages, great food, and low cost of living. An apartment in the Cáceres‎…

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